Double Amputee Veteran's Wheelchair Breaks In Lowe's, Workers Drop Everything To Fix It

Michael Sulsona of Staten Island, New York, has not led an easy life. The former Marine lost both of his legs in the Vietnam War when he was 20 years old, according to WABC. Sulsona has since used a wheelchair.

Last Monday, his wheelchair broke in a Lowe's store in Staten Island, and he found himself in a desperate situation. In a letter to Staten Island Advance, Sulsona wrote that three compassionate employees, David, Marcus, and Souleyman, sprung into action and placed him in a separate chair while they worked on repairing the wheelchair.

"The actions of these three employees at Lowe's showed me there are some who still believe in stepping to the plate," the veteran wrote. Sulsona left the store filled with gratitude, and with a wheelchair that he says was "like new."

The veteran was especially moved by the employees' actions, as he says he had been waiting for two years for a new wheelchair to be issued from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and that the agency told him that he is not eligible for a spare wheelchair.

Linky


Since this story broke, the VA has finally given this man a new wheelchair

"We were very sorry to hear about the reported circumstances surrounding Mr. Sulsona’s request for a new wheelchair," a VA spokesperson told the outlet. "We quickly investigated and can report the veteran’s new custom wheelchair was delivered to him today and it along with his back up will be serviced by the VA as needed."

Mr.Sulsona was very touched by the employees at Lowes and what they did for him
"I think it's really important that we all be like these people who wanted to help me; things would be so much easier."

Amen to that....

a reply to: snarky412

I would gladly have done the same thing.

There are still good people in the world, and I believe that they outnumber the bad.

As Gandhi said - "Be the change you want to see in the world."

S&F OP! Made the eyes swell a bit...

~Namaste

Why is it always a vet in the news getting help from people? Having a tough time? Doing heroic work?

There are others that are just as newsworthy but it seems not enough to pull those heart strings I guess.


According to the article we now know his name...but what about those that helped?

Peace

a reply to: jude11

He gave their first names but not the last.....

"Three employees, David, Marcus and Souleyman jumped to my assistance immediately. They placed me in another chair while they went to work."


For me, it was more about a disabled person who needed help and was taken care of by these workers, more so than him being a Vet
But many people do have a high amount of respect for Vets in general, so in that case, I won't take that away from them


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ETA: It's a shame that it took this to get the notice of the VA in order for the guy to get a new wheelchair after being refused for 2 years...

Good for these three men.

I just hope we don't hear that Lowe's wanted to fire them for stopping there normal work and helping out a person in need. Great publicity for Lowe's but that doesn't mean management would not figure out the positive before doing the typical employee punishment.

I don't think anyone that is handy would not try and help. At least i hope so. I would have helped. That said good for Lowe's employees for helping and for Lowe's itself for allowing employees to help someone in need while on the clock for other duties.
It's a shame that vets are not taken care of like they deserve for their service. Gov gives so much to every country in the world and complains about helping it's own people that are vets on soc sec which is paid in or just poor. We need to help our own before all those others.

Given the work ethic of many American employees, this is real news.

We found out what the Home Depot IT guys do at work, and it wasn't work.

My apologies...

Aw, I love them.

a reply to: roadgravel

No, they did it after close on their own time, and believe it or not, not every business is heartless. A lot of places do make latitude for customer service acts like this. I think, unless the store manager was a complete d*****, Lowe's the company is NOT going to give these guys a hard time. This kind of thing only plays well for image.

bout time i felt good around here as of lately...cool story..and sad he was waiting for a new one

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: roadgravel

No, they did it after close on their own time...

Then i retract my positive statement about Lowe's. They probably waited until after shift so they wouldn't get in trouble. Lowe's get no credit.

This was a good story to top off my day. I love this stuff. Thanks for sharing.

originally posted by: roadgravel

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: roadgravel

No, they did it after close on their own time...

Then i retract my positive statement about Lowe's. They probably waited until after shift so they wouldn't get in trouble. Lowe's get no credit.

After seeing what happened, three employees at the store told him, "we're not leaving here until the wheelchair is fixed," and proceeded to repair the broken parts.

"No one needed permission, there were no forms to fill out, no incident reports -- they just saw a guy in trouble and helped," he said of the three workers.

No mention as to the 'time' it happened and yet, no mention of anyone getting in trouble either
Sounds like the employees got right on it as soon as they realized what happened to the man's wheelchair

Only in America is it ground breaking news that one person helped another when they didn't have to. lol

originally posted by: PhoenixOD
Only in America is it ground breaking news that one person helped another when they didn't have to. lol

No, that happens everywhere, just not often on ATS.

originally posted by: PhoenixOD
Only in America is it ground breaking news that one person helped another when they didn't have to. lol

Sadly, most of the MSM [TV] don't talk about stories like this, so it's not 'ground breaking news'

Not good for ratings I suppose---seems as negative stories are what they focus on mostly i.e. politics/shootings/killings/theft/rape etc. etc.

It's nice to hear of good stories like this from time to time, to realize that the Human race is not all bad. LOL
Or at least, I have yet to hear/see it on any news....only came across it online
Thought I would share it for those that might find it interesting

Good to see theres at least a few left in this world who will help others ..

Wonderful story. Glad he got a new chair and these guys fixed his so he could move.

I'm in a wheelchair and store clerks are running over to me offering assistance as soon as I enter the stores.
I'm quite certain they are encouraged to help because if you injure yourself in their store, they could be held liable.

I can stand up and will do so to reach something. There will be a clerk rushing over to me so fast when I do this, "oh no, no . I can get that for you. Please ask for assistance. We don't want you to get hurt".

Some appear to panic as I enter, like we gotta watch this one.

So yes, this all feels very nice when people help. Customers are offering help. Strangers offer to give me a push if the doors aren't automatic. I really appreciate it. I get stuck sometimes. I need the help but am not one to ask.

My chair is always breaking. Like the little front wheel falls off and I'm completely stuck. Can't move. It's very expensive to get it serviced. I pay it myself. Not a vet. Sometimes the entire side collapses. They're like cars. They break down. Get flat tires. Need tune ups. Really though, they aren't cars, these are our legs!

All help is appreciated. It makes you feel good. There's some very nice people in this world.